Needle Drop Nation

Hello you lovely folks out there and welcome back to uh Needle Nation. I'm Jodie Baras and this is my lovely buddy um and co-host Nick Wood. Today we celebrate 1966 which is a special special year. Um and the title is Grit Groove and the world on fire. And the most important thing is it is the year that my buddy, my dear buddy Nick Wood was born. Um, and there's so much to celebrate about in this year. A lot of changes, a lot of things happening in the US, in the UK, and all over the world. Um, but we'd love to start off with something real celebratory on uh Nick's side of the woods in 1966. And let's talk about it, the World Cup, Nick. What happened in that year? with the day you the year you were born.
Yeah, I know. 66. Wow. It was the for anyone living in England in particular, um it was Yeah. the year the year we won the World Cup, the soccer world cup.
Woo! Yeah,
it's the only time we've ever won it. We've come close a couple of times since, but yeah, only time we've won it. And it was against, of course, our arch footballing rivals, um Germany, which in those days of course was just West Germany. Um so it wasn't even the whole of Germany. Uh and it was uh yeah there was wonderful at Wembley. So it was it was in England. Uh we won 3-1. Uh it's famous for a hat-tick um by Jeff Hurst the striker who normally here's the interesting thing normally wouldn't have been playing but early on in the competition there was an injury to Jimmy Greavves who was one of the best scorers of goals we ever had. Um but he got injured and so Jeff Hurst stepped in. He got the fame and fortune. Jimmy just had total
Jimmy just had to settle for being a national hero anyway. But um but yeah, so 66 the controversy being did the ball cross the line for the goal the first and it's like yeah we say it did, the Germans say it didn't. Who cares? It's all over. We won the World Cup or the Jules Rime trophy as it was called back in those days. So So yeah, all good stuff. It was Yeah. And of course I was born. So yeah, 66 not a bad year in my view.
And of course, we had some cracking music, too.
Oh, absolutely. I think that one of the year what made 1966 an amazing year was we saw the reemergence of the ballads, the love songs, timeless pieces. Um I know that on the top um charts of the UK, we saw Sinatra, Strangers in the Night.
Strangers in the Night. Yep. And the biggest selling song in ' 66 was Tom Jones, The Green Green Grass of Poe.
Oh wow. That
I haven't told you this bit actually, Jody. But when I was a little little kid, uh, and I mean really small. I mean, less than 10 small. Um, had this tiny little record player and had some old 45s. And in that old 45 section, I think it was actually from my aunt, my auntie Mary, but We had the green green grass of home by Tom Jones. We had uh Delila, his other one.
And the other one I remember in this little uh little 45 vinyl collection was Louis Armstrong. Um
wow.
Uh I can't think of the song.
What a wonderful world.
What a wonderful world. Yeah. So not sure not sure what years they were, but certainly the green green grass of home. Yeah, that one. And so that was played
constantly because it was We had all we had couldn't afford to buy a record back in those days,
but that was that was part of my musical history particularly green green grass when I and when I saw that as being the biggest seller in the UK for 66 I was very very pleased. I was touched uh almost as much as I was touched by having one of my all-time favorite songs was number one on the day I was born. That was the Rolling Stones and Paint It Black. Oh wow, that is a great song. I think in rock and roll history when you think about it, it really tells you a story. And um also with the um musical arrangement, you know, you hear um Eastern Strings particularly from Sounds of India with this guitar and um wow the brilliance that the Stones did with um the creativity of Brian Jones. Um we Yes. I mean, we hear that um in that on that track. Um but we also hear it um from the Beatles as well. Um in their album Revolver um and it's very fascinating um with the story of how um the Beatles were introduced to Ravi Shankar um on the set of help the film uh George Harrison and the Beatles were listening to Indian music um during their time on the set during rest and um George was fascinated and said who's this artist? Um and he goes I got to meet this person and I got to study. Um and um basically in 1965 um George met with Ravi Shankar and um he literally studied um the diff not just the sitar but other Indian musical instruments, string instruments and then um you will hear it specifically in one of the tracks in Revolver um Norwegian Wood which is um a beautiful song. Another about it as well. Um, but yeah, I mean it it resonates I think that whole year going back to the expression of creativity um and also romance and um we'll get into the wildside uh later on in this episode. But yeah, we see in the on the top of the charts um you know beautiful romantic ballads um you know we also had the Righteous Brothers
on on in the top of the charts in the US as well. Um yeah, also what was Yes. And then is there anything else, Nicholas, that you would like to talk about um in regards to um what um was really important in the 1966 um and in England?
Yeah. Well, in England it was a a bit of a a bit of a change year as well. We had a um a very it was a ch we had a a big Labor government. Harold Wilson and his Labor government were voted into power. Very workingass.
Um and it That was I think that's also shown in the music of the time as well. It's you know they they stayed in power for a long time actually to try and modernize uh Britain you still post war but things needed to modernize that that you know we just caused some some some change cause some pain rather as I say and obviously I don't remember 1966 but I remember Harold Wilson from the from in being in the and as a young as a young boy. Um he had a lovely Labrador dog. Can't remember his name, but he was famous for smoking a pipe, but a genuinely a genuinely a very very uh honest and you know committed man. You know he was a good he was one of those that you would call a good leader. Didn't matter which side of the political divide you were sat on but but yeah know he was he was a good guy for sure. So so we had that uh struggle. Um Um, and then as a you know, we had a the tragedy of of ' 66 was the ABA in Wales, the the the coal mining disaster where a big a big slag heap slipped down the mountain uh and basically wiped out a school and and half a village. Um, and we were un very I mean it's very unusual today even to to lose I think there was over 150 people died.
Wow.
See many of them school children. So very very very Um, sad time, but as we said, uh, but actually that inspired 1967, the BG's and their, uh, their New York Mining Disaster, uh,
Mhm.
song, which apparently they only changed it to New York to give it more glamour, which is how you how do you glamorize such a tragedy? But apparently, so whether that's true or not, I don't know. You know how you ask chap GPT some things, I think. Okay. But it does it sounds
Yeah. You you know what's really interesting is that in 1966 also I mean you still had the um famous Carnaby street and you know the styles of fashion which you know I I felt really um expressed the time you know of creativity you know through art and style you know with the middle class the workingclass youth um and again the rise of the working class was something that was a really strong statement um um in the UK at the time
it really was and we and we had the likes of David Bailey cutting his teeth in photography and fashion photography. Um we had Twiggy I think starting to come to in
in 1966 and so yeah and it was yeah the old skirts were getting higher
getting shorter. Yes they were
and and the trousers were getting tighter. So it was it was a so really in ' 66 in the UK you know we I think we were just kind of transitioning uh from a music sense into into that experimental uh like global love that was uh the late60s you what late '60s build but very different vibe in the in the US though Jody you had you had some cracking well not cracking you had some serious issues going on
um and your music reflected on that.
Oh yes absolutely I mean you know we still had the Vietnam War going on on and also you know there was a rise in rebellion uh with youth expression um but at the same time there was this essence of um you know again fighting for civil rights. I mean we had the um the Brown versus the Board of Education which declared that segregation was um unconstitutional in the United States and that made movement and you know I do commend the um the civil rights um efforts and um especially during the march has paved the way for acts to be um put in place such as this. But also, you know, one of the things if you from a creative standpoint in music in 1966 is, you know, you're introduced to the mamas and papas with California Dreaming. Um you know, that's again talking about Revery and Dreams and then um also you know the Beach Boys, you know, California girls. I mean, you know, that's something of a great form of escape when you live listen to that those tunes on the radio. Um, so, you know, it's it's it's it's really interesting. And then, of course, in the United States, you know, one of the top hits, um, again, I'll mention it again, is Frank Sinatra, but then also in the UK, you had a special lady with these boots are made for walking on the top of charts in the UK.
Yeah, exactly. You know, and the 10 biggest selling singles in the UK. Um, yeah. Was Frank was number two and Nancy I think was number nine with these boots are made for walking. I'm trying to think of when else we might have had a father and daughter um on their own in in the you know the top 10 selling singles. I have to do a bit of research later on find out. But of course also what was going on uh of course there was also the space race going on.
And so I think in ' 66 I think we might have seen the first spacew walk.
Um when you when you think, you know, that was such a such a such a fast I mean, you know, to say to say, "Yeah, we're going to go to the moon in the next 10 years," and then actually do it. Um
yeah, that the the pace of of of of exploration uh is just stunning when you look back at of what they were doing space-wise is incredible.
And and for you know, like it basically um propelled the world to view the needs and the um the the call to action with you know the advancement of um technology and um being to travel beyond our planet and um landing on the moon. I mean later on you'll see that the United States was able to achieve that I think in 1968 69 with Neil Armstrong and his team but you know I know Russia already um had its mission in landing as well. And
yes.
Yeah.
Yeah. And and and of course we also, you know, we had so we had the not only the space race going on, we had the cold war was still a very real thing. So we were still living under the threat of uh of of uh two two continents launching all their nuclear weapons at each other. Thank goodness that hasn't happened.
I know. It's like we always have to brace brace case and hope for the better, hope for peace, you know that we always but yeah, one of the things is I must say is that u you know 1966 really um built the time when we I love what I love about 1966 is the rise in the um origins of um blue-eyed soul um you know
yes so
blueeyed I like that
blueeyed soul yes you know in the UK one of the artist that I always looked up um that reminds me of the genre blue is Dusty Springfield and she's um you know been she was around for several years and did collaborations with great artists.
Yeah. Through the decades as well.
Through the decades. Exactly. And um also here in the United States we had the Righteous Brothers.
Yeah. All over.
And um I think one of the songs that came um that I will always remember is Unchained Melody,
you know, that's one of the most beautiful ballads. Um, but it's just that whole um visibility of of who I soul and artists that contribute to that um you know 1966 paved the way um to presenting artists and um really um resonating great works um in the years to come.
Oh yeah. And I tell you, we got I mean if you listening in the show notes. We do have the the playlist. Of course, we got about 20 songs on there. I think some of the songs there, Joy, are absolute bangers. You know, we got one of I when I was skimming down it the other day when you first produced it, I was thinking, "Ah, the monkeys." They're almost like one of my guilty pleasures were one of one of the first of my of my friends to actually admit to having the Monkeykey's greatest hits because Oh, it was just a TV show. But their music was awesome. And 66 I'm a believer.
You can't help but sing it in your head. It's uh as we know, written by Neil Diamond.
These guys, these guys could these guys could play. They weren't just, you know, not just acting. They they knew how to play. They really did.
And And they were a band that had a TV show. And that's Not only teenagers look forward to, parents look forward to it. Kids look forward to watching them on the show, you know. It was and it was something that was an anticipation for the next week and the next week to see what adventures the four boys were doing, you know,
and it was is it and it was fun. But you told me a couple of weeks ago a fact I didn't know because I was waxing lyrical about how David Jones Yeah. he was a UK guy. He was from Manchester.
Um and then you told me why he was so good-looking.
Mhm. Yes. His um you know he's half Sri Lankan and uh I was just like it was shocking and I was like but you know what I could see that you know and it was amazing how there was you know Dave Jones even though he was the good-looking one he was the shortest one I think of all the
members. Um Michael Nesmouth um who was the drummer or the guitarist he actually ended up being um a um a producer um late later and
a lot of Yeah, he did a lot of um country and western uh style.
Yeah, Mickey Dolan's was the drummer.
And sometimes singer
because
remembering from that amazing album, it wasn't quite 66, but he did a song called Going Down, which is probably one of the
one of the best jazz songs I'd ever certainly at the time. I'd never heard anything like it. It was like And it goes on for it's like a it's not a short three minute one. It's like a good five minute a five minute song and is if you've never heard it hit that playlist and well it won't be in the playlist. Go search it and play go find
say play say I'm a believer then say and they'll find me some more
some more monkeys tunes
going down in just a cork and then uh Peter talk was the other guy was computer tour.
Yep.
Mhm.
And and like I said, I think it was also reminiscent of um the Beatles help because that was also a film that was meant to also have comedic um the comedic tone to it and but then you know that was a film and then now you have a show with the monkeys and it was like I said there was always an anticipation of what was the next adventure of the four of them and it was like a spoof and that was that was the air of of comedy back Then, you know, with Laughing, you know, that was a variety show. And then you had the monkeys, you had Batman, and Batman was like almost like a spook with some of the action in there.
Of course, Batman. Yeah. Adam West and
and Yep. Yep.
Yeah.
And Earth Kit. The Kit.
Yes.
Woman, remember? Oh,
yeah. Kit was also in uh Oh, you know, Peter Cisville. What's new pussycat?
What's new pussycat?
Yep.
Wow. Some things to celebrate in the 60s, right? Fashion.
There was some good stuff. Yeah. Yeah. You got some some of my favorite actors were around in those days. Peter Oul, Richard,
very young. Michael Kaine, I think, was around in ' 66.
Peter Sers.
Peter Cellers. Of course.
Of course. I was I was watching on future. I was watching an old episode of we had a guy in the UK called Parkinson to do the Saturday night interviews
and I saw a recording of I think it was in 71 this was
and he had Peter Cers uh as his guest and Peter Cers was just reading off from from the old goon show days that Milligan and Harry see
and they had all these characters and he was just reading off them as they were explaining the the idea behind their different voices then doing their different voices. It was I don't know. It was just one of the things that just, you know, in entranced me as to as to just how how incredibly funny he was.
But say in a in the days when
I'm going to sound like a right old kid now, but in the days when you didn't need to you have bad um uh what am I trying to say? Bad language,
you know, it wasn't nothing was particularly sexual. ized or
nothing but shock. It was just really wellcraftrafted funny jokes and situations. That's, you know, that was a a lost art, I think, to a degree.
No, absolutely. I feel that, you know, um I know coming from, you know, here in the US, I think one of the things that I'm reminded about with Peter Sers was the Pink Panther.
Oh,
series of the Pink Panther. Yes.
Right. The Pink Panther. Bond movies would have been very big as well and it not sure which one would have been 66. Might have been Goldfinger
was Goldfinger. You don't think it was Casino Royale?
Uh, no. I think I think in ' 66.
The first
The one with Peter Cers and um and uh
Sean Connory.
No. Um
Yes. We got to do trivia. We got to do a trivia.
Yeah, there was there was a Bof Bond movie, wasn't there? And it was Casino Royale and it had David Nan in it and it had Peter C.
David Nan.
Woody Allen. That was it. Woody Allen
as Jimmy Bond.
Yes.
Um but yeah, but as a as in the real Bond franchise, I think it was Goldfinger. It might have been or it might have been the one after Goldfinger.
Who knows? One of the things you're just going to have to take our word for it if you dare. But yeah. Yeah. And all those all those bond movies that produced great songs. So Shirley Bassie was sung
Shirley Bassy old finger and the next one I think it actually might be in 1966 um was sung by Tom Jones of all people I do recall.
Can't think of it off the top of my head but it will come to me in a minute.
Oh my goodness.
If you're listening you probably know you're going screaming at the podcast. It's
Oh no. Which one is it? Well I remember um Tom Jones did a version of A Land of a Thousand Dances. which was actually popular, but it was popular by the artist Wilson Picket in 1966.
Oh, right. Yeah. Yeah.
Yes.
Thunderball.
Thunderball. That was that was the theme that was a theme song from that Bond film, too. Thunderball.
Yeah. Thunderball. That was a theme to the Bond film. And that was Yeah. There was a Here's a sad fact. I used to be that I could tell you every single artist who sung the Bond tunes.
I'm not surprised, Nick. not surprised that you know Shirley Bassie, Tom Jones, Duran Duran, um Adele. There you go. Links back to my story when I blacked my way into Abi Road Recording Studios.
Oh yeah.
Yeah. They showed me the piano and the studio where she recorded um Skyfall.
Wow.
Yeah. Isn't it funny how these little things just just pop in. What else have we got in the music world though? In ' 66, I love I love it when we go off on our little tangents, but
No, absolutely. Absolutely.
We also had
Let's see. As we as far as
Oh, the kid the who the kids are all right.
Yes,
the kids are all Yeah.
If we start singing, Jody, we're in danger of getting a a copyright. I guess getting that group.
Okay. They're starting to sing the the tunes now. Okay. No, but I mean one of the things I must say is that you know this year I mean you know we got um Wild Thing. Wild Thing.
Wild Thing of course.
So that by the Throgs again
I think.
Yes. That's a song that is
imagine if we did choke drunk. You know, can you imagine what songs we'll end up singing throughout the episode? And then
we because you know what the thing is? We can't play the music, but we can sing the song. So
you can
that wouldn't kick us out, right? So
maybe we should introduce a section so people can say, "Oh, guess that tune in one."
Exactly. Exactly.
Also, another thing I must say is that um um was really very popular You know, I feel that it was a call to action um especially trying to get um people enlisted, young men enlisted during the Vietnam War. Um the ballot of the green um beret um
from the um soldier, the US soldier um Sergeant Barry um Sadler. Yeah. So it was um it really talks about a first generation and inspiring his son to follow you know and going into war. So you know you you see music
uh you know talk about the reflection of the why of you know going into war not just about the um resistance but also about there is a voice about the call to action and this song embodied it and you know which was uh released and in the top of the charts in 1966 as well.
Yeah it was it was the biggest selling song in the US in ' 66 and I until we were putting this show together I'd never heard of it. Um and so of course I went and had a listen and yeah it's such a powerful song and I I can just see that a song of its of its time. Totally.
Mhm.
So if you've never heard that do go check that out on the playlist is
and it's like a it's like a song of storytelling because he talks about his experience as if he's talking to his son at the breakfast. table and telling him and really giving him um the story of his experience and imparting it you know to his son who he's encouraging to go to war. So that you know that song that's how that song um listening to it how it resonated with me. Um but yeah I think also another thing that was very special I like you know how I like to bring up the Beatles again was um you know um again you know Elanena Riby was a was a fant fantastic song and and um also tells a story um you know and a journey. I think one of the things that you'll see with the Beatles as they move along it's story it's really storytelling about the experience of a character. It's character st story and Ellanar Rippy
um to me was one of that that resonated that and it was did you notice that a majority of that um track was um was major strings um violence tune to
Yeah. It's a It's a haunting little melody to it.
Mhm. Yep.
And then you'll see how the production works where it gets from one song to another song.
Did you notice that? Like the continuation or one track to the next track. What is that called again? I I keep on forgetting.
When it's not just one song, but it's when two songs are played like
Yeah. They just play into each other almost.
Exactly. Like for example, um we will rock. I mean, we're getting off of topic, but like the queen, it was we will rock. We will rock you leads into a ballad. Um, we are the champions. You notice that in the airwaves
have songs I think um the Beatles and Revolver, they did that. Um, it was
Yeah. It was almost like the beginning of of of like concept albums.
The whole thing had a theme to it. Of course, Pink Floyd were very very good at good at these these types of of of albums
as
which we'll come on to obviously in the 70s
you might have some Pink Floyd in the 60s actually there were late 60s
yeah the late 60s yeah
so you know that's another group
you could do I do want to mention I do want to mention the Supremes as well because they're one of my Donna Russen Supremes can't hurry love 1966 people probably remember we chatted about him earlier, Phil Collins.
Me and Jody were chatting about it, not not on the podcast, but we were chatting about Phil Collins and how, you know, how amazing singer, amazing drummer, and unfortunately now he can't drum. Um, but yeah, Can't Hurry Love was one of his big hit singles, you know,
20, 30 years later, I guess. ' 66.
Yeah, that was probably the 80s, wasn't it? Mid 80s.
It was like Yeah. In the mid 80s when he did that um rendition of the Supreme song. Yeah. Yeah. Massively popular. So, because this is what I love, you know, there were some such amazing songs in the
Yeah. And then Yeah. And then you got the four tops. The four tops. My god.
You know, and it's it's something that again, you know, reach out, I'll be there, you know, the temptations. Um, you know, Ain't Too Proud to beg, you know.
Yeah.
You're talking about the the beautiful Detroit Mottown continuum, you know. you know, that you'll see in the late 60s that are just timeless. And I
I love that, Jody. That's just going to get better and better. I know some of those songs we're going to be playing.
I know they're going to be fantastic, you know, like listening to the beats, the baseline, you know, it's great. And one thing that you'll see like as we get into later in the year is added additional instruments and experimentation with Mottown um sound and you know, know right now we see in England moving along you know with other with different orchestrations and and um you know sounds as well but um Nick so next episode that we will be featuring is 1967
next
so we're going to see more of an evolution in um great uh progress with the stones also with the mamas and papas and and more bands here in the United States that uh really dominated um what we would see and what's to come in the rise of expression
umism freedom you know
and and certainly a few bands decided to go more into the studio to to express and get more creativity than actually just uh performing you know on tour and live
the thing isn't it They used to knockout album once a year, so you knew you always had an extra one. But yeah, moving into 67, we're going to be seeing some very clever stuff, particularly particularly from the Beatles. Um, and a couple of massive massive albums
as well. But you have to wait till next week.
That's right. We got to wait till like, oh my goodness. And again, it's a wonderful year. The best thing that could ever happen, you know, the year that Nickwood was born here, this this episode celebrates.
What a way to celebrate my year. We got We got to wait a few years for you, Jody, I'm afraid.
Oh, I know. That's okay. I could wait. Um
You can wait.
We could wait. But one thing that Nick and I did find out um is that Nick and I were born on the same month.
Yeah. So, we're almost twins.
That's right.
So, guys, thank you for watching. Thank you for listening. I think if you yeah check out the playlist in the in the notes if you want to contact Jod and I our details are in there as well. Um we'll be here uh next week. Um and obviously if you're enjoying this please do give us a review, a good one if you don't mind. That would be nice because all these things help and we can help expand the podcast. We we got some good things. We've got some great ideas that we want to implement. This is still little embryionic podcast. So Yeah, do share. Tell everyone about it. Can that be cool? Jodia, let me leave the final final thoughts to you while I think of 67.
Well, also I just wanted to add too is that we if you if you're driving or if you're washing the dishes, also think about the fact that we are um a podcast. We are also um on iTunes. We're on Spotify. So if you go to NeedlerNation/transition FM. It will give you the options of where to listen to our podcast. So, also make the time to listen and also provide comments. We would love love love to hear even for our next episode what songs you'd like to hear on that dedicated year. Um so yeah, so stay tuned. Um thanks for those of you who've u been listening to us. We love you guys and you know what, we love you all. Um we can't Nick and I Can't wait to see you next week. Um,
yeah.
Mhm. This is such joy for us. Remember, Yep. It's a remember needed Nation. It's how we celebrate music as a love letter to our childhood. So, we'll see you soon. Love you guys.
See you next week, guys. Take care.